Stele Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse

On the façade of the town hall of Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse in Liège is the stele to the soldiers killed during the 1st World War originating from Saint-
Georges.

Commemorated are

BOURGUIGNON Hubert, age 25, sergeant in the 14th Line Regiment, killed by a bullet through the heart on September 28, 1918 in Langemark.

CHEU Nestor, age 29, soldier with the 14th line regiment, died from the effects of shrapnel at Langemark on September 28, 1918.

DAINEFFE Mathieu, age 30, brigadier with the Corps du Transport, died at the military hospital in Calais (F) on November 27, 1918, more than one week after the armistice, from the effects of illness (probably Spanish flu).

DUCHESNE Joseph, age 27, corporal with the 14th Line Regiment, killed in action at Haacht on September 12, 1914.

DELVENNE Lambert, age 23, soldier with the 3rd Division Armée, killed by a bullet in the chest at Kaaskerke on August 8, 1916.

GONDA Ferdinand, age 21, soldier with the 6th Line Regiment, died October 31, 1914 in the field hospital at Veurne from wounds received in combat.

GYNSTERBLOM Camille, age 22, sergeant with the 7th linieregiment, killed in action, October 20, 1914 at Saint-Joris.

HERBILLON Alphonse, age 26, sentry in the 8th artillery regiment, died of influenza and pneumonia (probably Spanish flu) on December 3, 1918 (almost a month after the armistice) at the military hospital of Blosseville-Bonsecours (F).

HORREZ Constant, age 28, soldier-driver with the grand parc automobile de réserve (GPAR), killed by shrapnel on November 3, 1917 at Kaaskerke.

L'HOMME Jean-Louis, age 22, soldier with the 19th line regiment, died from shrapnel in his back at Hansbeke on October 28, 1918.

LIETAR Henri, age 23, soldier with the 14th line regiment, missing* since October 24, 1914 at Saint-Joris.

MEROTTE Pierre, age 23, soldier with the 14th line regiment, missing* since October 24, 1914 at Saint-Joris.

MOUSSET Auguste, age 24, soldier with the 14th line regiment, killed in action at Haacht on September 29, 1914.

MOTTE Hyacinthe, age 23, soldier with the 6th Line Regiment, killed on November 3, 1914 at Ramskapelle.

RIGA Armand, age 26, sergeant with the 3rd Division Armée, killed on October 31, 1914 at Ramskapelle.

SIMONIS Desire, age 26, soldier with the Engineers, died June 7, 1919 ! at Ixelles, from wounds received in battle.

THIRION Joseph, age 27, soldier in the 14th line regiment, killed October 24, 1914 at Saint-Joris.

*missing

That soldiers went missing could have several reasons. In battle, a soldier could be completely blown to pieces by a direct hit of a large caliber grenade and even vaporized by the heat of the blast, after which nothing recognizable remained of the soldier. Or in attacks with the flamethrower, a new weapon in World War 1. Its use at that time was considered humane in battle. After a full layer of burning oil from a flamethrower could burn a soldier beyond recognition.

Also, as a result of several grenade impacts in the trench or a shelter (dugout) in the wall of the trench, a soldier could be buried under the earth. Also, several soldiers died (whether or not already wounded) because after they crawled into a shellhole, then due to excessive rain, they were unable to crawl up the slippery walls of the shellhole due to the absorption effect of the mud combined with the weight of their equipment and drowned. These shellholes then filled with rain and mud, and one soldier was gone. Missing. Today, soldiers' remains are still found in these types of shellholes when excavators are used due to civil works around the former battlefield in Belgium and northern France.

Even fallen soldiers left behind in the no man's land fell prey to exploding shells, leaving them mutilated beyond recognition. Or they were eaten by rats, crows or other scavengers, with the eyes usually the first to be picked out of the skull. This in addition to the incoming decomposition of the corpses and the fact that fallen soldiers sometimes remained in the no man's land for up to weeks could cause a soldier to be registered as missing at some point. Identification tags did exist at that time. They were either made of compressed leather (British) or zinc (Germans) but not every soldier wore his plate. Sometimes out of superstition. If I don't wear it nothing will happen to me. Or the plate itself went missing in the chaos of war.

In this context, it should also not be forgotten that countless soldiers still recorded as missing today, rest in an anonymous grave found in all military cemeteries of the Allies and the Central Ax. The corpse was unrecognizable, but buried. The grave inscription was virtually the same in all languages. Here rests a soldier, known only to god.